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Won't You Be My Neighbor (film)
| starring = | editing = | music = Jonathan Kirkscey | cinematography = Graham Willoughby | studio = Tremolo Productions | distributor = Focus Features | released = | runtime = 93 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $22,835,787 }}Won't You Be My Neighbor? is a 2018 American documentary film about the life and guiding philosophy of Fred Rogers, the host and creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, directed by Morgan Neville. The trailer for the film debuted on what would have been Rogers's 90th birthday, March 20, 2018. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 8, 2018. It received acclaim from critics and audiences and grossed over $22 million, becoming the top-grossing biographical documentary ever produced and the 12th largest-grossing documentary ever produced. It was nominated for numerous awards, won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature, and was chosen by Time magazine as one of its top ten films of 2018. Premise Filmmaker Morgan Neville examines the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the popular children's television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Appearances * Joanne Rogers (Fred's widow) * John Rogers (Fred's son) * Jim Rogers (Fred's son) * Elaine Rogers (Fred's sister) * François Scarborough Clemmons * Tom Junod * Yo-Yo Ma * Joe Negri * David Newell * Howard and Pam Erlanger (parents of Jeff Erlanger) * Fred Rogers in archival recordings * Koko in archival recordings Release Won't You Be My Neighbor? was shown at many film festivals including on January 19, 2018, at the Sundance Film Festival, February 24, 2018, at the Boulder International Film Festival, March 2, 2018, at the True/False Film Festival, March 16, 2018, at the Miami Film Festival, and May 5, 2018, at the Montclair Film Festival. It had a limited release in US theaters on June 15, 2018. PBS aired the film on February 9, 2019, as part of the network's Independent Lens series. In November 2018, Morgan revealed that the original title of the film was The Radical Mister Rogers, but after the election of Donald Trump, the term "radical" had a negative connotation according to Morgan. Reception Box office Won't You Be My Neighbor? made $475,419 from 29 theaters in its first weekend, and $1 million from 96 theaters in its second. Expanding to 348 theaters the following week, it grossed $1.9 million, finishing tenth at the box office. It was added to an additional 306 theaters in its fourth weekend (for a total of 654) and made $2.5 million, again finishing 10th. It made $2.6 million the following weekend, becoming the highest-grossing documentary of 2018 in the process with $12.4 million. On July 27, the film became the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all-time, and on August 12 passed Bowling for Columbine to become the 12th-highest-grossing documentary overall. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98 percent based on 232 reviews, and an average rating of 8.73/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Amy Nicholson of Variety wrote: "Neville's fantastic archival footage reveals the man through his work — or at least, it reveals his philosophies, if not the childhood memories that gave Rogers the ability to understand a four-year-old's brain, almost as if he still carried his in his cardigan pocket." David Edelstein of New York magazine wrote: "A wonderful breather from reality, from which you come back more conscious of — and dismayed by — the hate that more than ever runs the world." In December 2018, former US President Barack Obama listed the film as one of his favorite films of 2018. Accolades See also * A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a 2019 biopic about Fred Rogers starring Tom Hanks References External links * * * * Category:2018 films Category:American documentary films Category:American films Category:Biographical documentary films Category:Documentary films about children Category:Documentary films about television Category:English-language films Category:Films about emotions Category:Films directed by Morgan Neville Category:2010s documentary films Category:Films about Fred Rogers Category:Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Category:Focus Features films